DON’T BE FOOLED Essentially, ‘vintage’ is just another name for second-hand clothing, but it’s a label that has been adopted by the fashion industry to make it sound more exclusive and aspirational, like ‘vintage champagne’. In other words, expensive! Yes, antique flapper dresses from the 1920s and original Ozzie Clarke designs are beautiful, but the joy of finding something that’s ‘one of a kind’ needn’t be so costly.

BE OPEN MINDED If your funds don’t stretch to antique 1920s flapper dresses and classic Balenciaga, try ‘thrifting’, or charity-shop rummaging instead. It takes a little more effort, but the results can be far more fun and affordable. And although today’s environmental concerns weren’t such an issue 15 years ago when I first started thrifting, the turnover rate of clothes has now become so rapid that there’s something refreshing about stepping outside of it occasionally.
MOST WANTED LIST The key to a successful expedition is to go with a tangible piece in mind, otherwise the whole thing becomes too daunting. Chloe Sevigny is my favourite person to go thrifting with. There are some fantastic thrift stores in her hometown in Connecticut, and she’d begin every trip with ‘So, what are you looking for?’ If you go in blank, it’s much harder to feel inspired.

ACCESSORIZE If you’re still a bit squeamish about second-hand clothes, start with accessories. Bags, belts and scarves instantly refresh an outfit, and are easily incorporated into your everyday wardrobe. A shop’s accessories are a good indicator of the rest of the stocks

FOLLOW YOUR INSTINCT My most treasured find is a studded punk belt from the seventies that I found in a downtown New York charity shop, and fell in love with on the spot. I didn’t have a single penny on me, but I’d gone in to pick up the sales money from a magazine I write called Cheap Date - it wasn’t very professional of me, but after a bit of bargaining they kept the money and I took the belt.

KNOW YOUR LIMITS Build up a suitcase of ideas whenever you go shopping and come up with your own list of thrifting rules - I automatically pounce on anything leopard-print or patent. Steer clear of anything stained rather than just a little grubby and always pay attention to the fabric. Nylon or polyester is an instant veto

PAY ATTENTION TO DETAILS Look out for little details that lift a piece and make it part of a bigger style picture- a little lace edging round the cuffs, a great set of buttons or a fantastic loud print. The key is to imagine them out of the bargain bin and in the context of your own wardrobe.

HAVE PATIENCE Thrifting requires a different attitude from regular shopping. You need to be in a more relaxed frame of mind. Try church fetes or second-hand markets and pop into charity shops regularly for a quick browse - choose upmarket districts if you’re after designer labels. Nine times out ten you won’t find anything, but the tenth might unearth a real gem of a piece.

Pucci became well known for his signature use of bright colours, bold patterns, and striking designs. Popular early creations were a line of wrinkle-free printed silk dresses. By the mid 50’s, Pucci was honored internationally, receiving the Neiman-Marcus Award in Dallas and the Burdine’s Sunshine Award in Miami. In 1959, Pucci decided to create a lingerie line. He was advised by his Roman atelier to develop the line abroad, avoiding the pitfalls associated with his first swimwear collection of 1949 which had difficulties in matching his colored patterns to the available fabrics. As a result, Pucci came to Chicago giving the lingerie contract to Formfit-Rogers mills. The venture proved to be successful, and Pucci was made vice president in charge of design and merchandising for the company a year later. 1959 was also a seminal year for Pucci since it was the year that he met Baronessa Cristina Nannini, a Roman baroness introduced to Pucci at his boutique in Capri. Pucci would later marry her, claiming: “I married a Botticelli”.

From 1954 to 1968 Pucci also designed stewardess uniforms for Braniff Airlines. These avant-garde creations were designed as individual components to be added or removed as weather dictated. The uniforms included turtlenecks, t-shirts, crop jackets and culottes.[2] Among the more unusual innovations was a “bubble helmet” — a clear plastic hood worn by flight attendants between terminal building and aircraft to protect their hairdos from rain and the blast of jet engines.[3][4] He suggested the three bird motif for the design of the Apollo 15 mission patch.

In addition to his life of fashion, Pucci was elected to the Italian Parliament.While a Member of Parliament, Pucci was hired by New York ad agency Jack Tinker and Associates to re-design the hostess wardrobes for Braniff International Airways. Pucci would end up designing seven complete outfits for Braniff hostesses, pilots and ground crew between 1965 and 1977. Pucci incorporated Alexander Girard’s “BI” logo into some of his prints. After his death in 1992 his daughter, Laudomia Pucci, continued to design under the Pucci name.The Pucci brand was revived by the French firm Louis Vuitton-Moet-Hennessy Group, who acquired the rights in 2000. Designers who have worked under the Pucci brand include Stephan Janson, Julio Espada and Christian Lacroix. In 2006, British designer, Matthew Williamson replaced Lacroix as creative director. Laudomia Pucci continues to serve as the Image Director.

His designs were always so virbant and rich with colors and shapes that would tend to make my mouth water. This was a man of genius, no one can compare. Take some time to check out his amazing web site emiliopucci.comI go wild everytime I see these killer boots! Stunning!